74. The Guardian Is Certain

At Edward’s words, Larael bit her lip slightly. Edward was telling Larael that he considered Herwen an enemy. Larael slowly closed and opened her eyes. That brief moment felt unbearably long to Edward.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke of Vellaus has nothing to do with me anymore. I have no feelings left for him at all.”

Edward looked at Larael as she spoke clearly, meeting his gaze. Perhaps he had wanted to hear those words.

“I’m so pathetic, feeling relieved just because you said that.”

Edward rubbed his face with both hands. He wondered how pathetic Larael must think he was, if it was okay for his own heart to be at ease regardless of hers, and felt ashamed of how selfish he was.

“I do plenty of pathetic things, too.”

Larael got up and sat beside Edward. Her gentle voice seeped into his heart, making his chest feel ticklish. It sounded as if she was calling him pathetic, but Edward didn’t mind those words at all.

“Your Majesty, don’t rush. Take your time. I’ll do my best to help you.”

Edward let out a faint laugh at Larael’s words of support. Just hearing her say that gave him strength and put his mind at ease.

“Yes. When I look at you, I feel like I can see the path I should take.”

“I wish time would just stop like this.”

Larael said sincerely as she stroked Edward’s arm. It wasn’t because she was happy being with Edward at that moment. It wasn’t a statement filled with happiness, but rather a mix of regret and anxiety about the path Edward would have to walk by turning Herwen into an enemy.

She didn’t want Edward to get hurt, not even a single hair.

“What if I end up disappointing you?”

Edward buried his head in Larael’s arms. Larael smiled and gently placed her hand on his head, holding him close. It was a question with an obvious answer. Larael replied by softly stroking his hair. Edward hadn’t really expected an answer. Larael’s embrace was warm and comforting. Edward’s eyes slowly began to close.

“Your Majesty, I’d like to visit Hedway County. I want to see my parents.”

Edward’s drowsy eyes snapped open.

“Larael, you promised we’d go together.”

Edward spoke in a disappointed tone.

“Aren’t you too busy, Your Majesty? This time, I’ll go alone, and we can go together next time, can’t we?”

Edward let out a long sigh. His warm breath slipped under Larael’s dress, tickling her skin. Larael tried her best to suppress the sensation.

“All right. Fine. I’m not so petty or pathetic, so go ahead.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Next time, let’s go together, no matter what.”

“Yes.”

Edward, who had lifted his head slightly, buried himself deeper in Larael’s arms.

***

“Our Empress is going to Hedway County. Can I go too?”

“What? No way.”

As soon as Nora brought it up, she was met with Ferma’s firm refusal. Nora glanced at Ferma with a troubled expression.

“What should I do? The palace requested a wizard to accompany her, and I already said I would go.”

At her words, Ferma narrowed her eyes and glared at her. Under Ferma’s sharp gaze, Nora looked away and glanced around aimlessly.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to stop seeing the Empress? You’re getting too close to her.”

“So you admit she’s the Empress now?”

Nora didn’t miss the fact that Ferma had unconsciously called Larael ‘Empress.’ Ferma pressed her hand to her forehead and frowned. Seeing this, Nora suddenly remembered something.

“I think the Guardian has appeared.”

“What? Why are you only telling me something so important now?”

Ferma jumped up from her seat, shouting.

“I wasn’t sure before. But now I’ve decided to trust my instincts.”

The Guardian was bound to the Empress by an invisible contract from birth. Those born with the fate of the Guardian instinctively obeyed the Empress’s commands unconditionally. The Guardian was born with exceptional abilities to protect the Empress.

Previously, when Nora visited the palace to bring Larael a meat pie, she had seen a boy riding out with Handelson, Larael’s escort knight. The moment she passed by that boy, Nora instinctively sensed it.

‘That boy is definitely the Guardian. The Empress found her Guardian herself.’

Nora was proud of Larael, who was preparing to find her place one step at a time. But it was still just a suspicion—she wasn’t certain yet. There was no means to identify the Guardian, like an artifact announcing the birth of an Empress with the third eye. The Guardian could only awaken upon meeting the Empress and realize for themselves that they were the Guardian.

Even those born with the Guardian’s fate could live ordinary lives, never realizing their true nature. Of course, thanks to their innate abilities, they often stood out wherever they went and eventually met the Empress, even if belatedly.

“I couldn’t say anything before because I wasn’t sure, but my intuition tells me he’s definitely the Guardian.”

At Nora’s mention of her ‘intuition,’ Ferma slumped into her seat, disappointed.

“Nora, can’t you just say something definite for once?”

“Ferma, anyway, you’re letting me go to Hedway County, right?”

“Fine. There’s no helping it.”

“Then I’ll hurry and send a message to the palace that I’ll go.”

“Wait. Didn’t you say you already told them?”

At Ferma’s question, Nora grinned and started humming. Ferma sighed and shook her head. Whether Nora knew Ferma’s feelings or not, she hummed a tune and left Ferma’s lab with a light, happy step.

***

Kali finally tracked down Dr. Hobbs.

His hospital was a small, two-story building. If she hadn’t seen the sign that said ‘hospital,’ she might have walked right past it without knowing. Guided by a staff member who was cleaning and doing odd jobs, she waited inside his office for Hobbs, who was said to be out on a house call, to return.

Kali glanced at Joy, who was sitting next to her.

[I didn’t make a request to Four Seasons. They wouldn’t have found anything about me anyway, you know? Really. I’m good at more things than you’d expect, so why not keep me close and investigate for yourself?]

Joy had brought back the letter she’d given him and boldly handed it to her, which left Kali momentarily speechless. Yet at the same time, she liked him. She didn’t fully trust him, but decided to keep him close and give him work. He turned out to be quite clever and quick, handling tasks rather well.

After watching him for a few days, she also found that his gratitude toward Larael seemed genuine. Even in conversations with Kali, he often expressed his appreciation for Larael. When he did, his usually mischievous eyes grew serious. Whether or not that was Joy’s intention, the fact was, Kali liked him. As a result, she had brought him along to meet Hobbs in Kalia.

“If you take the ‘A’ out of Kalia, it’s Kali, isn’t it?”

Sometimes, when he made odd jokes like this, she regretted bringing him. Joy would occasionally make jokes that only old men would enjoy—where he learned them, she had no idea. When Kali first frowned at him, he explained that these were jokes his master used to like.

Even now, as they waited for Hobbs, Kali ignored Joy’s joke without even turning her head. Despite her coldness, Joy just giggled happily. Shaking her head, Kali took out her notebook and recorded all her recent activities.

“You’re really thorough. I guess Her Highness the Empress Consort has a good eye for people—she picked me, after all.”

Joy peeked at what Kali was writing and commented. Sometimes, he would flatter Kali awkwardly, as if to reassure her when she doubted him. He really was quite perceptive.

“Picked you, huh. What nonsense.”

Kali snapped coldly without even looking up, but she did acknowledge that he was quite good at the work she gave him. In some ways, she agreed with him. How had Larael known that Corneli was the ghost composer behind Jojo Assefena? Was it really just a coincidence that she turned an unknown dress designer into the hottest topic in the capital?

‘Is Corneli all right?’

Thinking of Corneli, the article she saw in the morning paper about Assefena’s downfall flashed through her mind. It was about Jojo Assefena, Corneli’s husband, who had hanged himself at home. She realized she had forgotten to contact Corneli and made a note to do so once she returned to the capital.

Just then, the door to the consulting room opened and Hobbs walked in.